A reader wanted to know why the Louise Avenue corridor enhancement project undertaken by the City of Manteca didn’t include installing the yellow metal plates with small bumps on the Tidewater Bikeway where sidewalks meet the street as were installed at all other intersections within the project’s boundaries.

The short answer from City Manager Karen McLaughlin: They were not needed.

Prior to the construction contract being awarded, the city checked the slopes of all existing curb cuts designed to allow handicapped access at intersections to make sure they complied with the latest Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

None of the other cuts complied but the ones at the Tidewater did because they were put in place more recently. As a result every other sidewalk cut along Louise at intersections got the yellow steel plates with small bumps except for the Tidewater.

And the reason why the yellow plates are in the middle of the street where  a new median is split to allow Tidewater foot and bicycle traffic to cross Louise is due to federal law that requires all new construction to have the yellow plates.

McLaughlin noted the small bumps help stop wheelchairs.



To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com